Ad blocked by racing industry newspaper

Racing writer for The Age

A passionate racehorse trainer prepared to pay for advertising space to have his views on corporate bookmakers heard has been told his ad won't be accepted by racing industry-owned publication Winning Post.

Paul Banks, who trains at Bendigo, said he first attempted to have his thoughts on corporate bookmakers and their impact on Australian racing published in a letters-to-the-editor column in the publication, but the copy that appeared was so changed from the original version that he decided to book a page advertisement in this week's edition.

"I'm so upset about what the corporate bookmakers are doing to our game and our business. I don't think some trainers have the time to look closely at the economic problems they bring to our industry and I want to put our case,'' Banks said.

"When my editorial was slashed I thought I won't be pushed aside and contacted the paper and they agreed to give me the back cover for a page ad. I agreed to pay $1900 but soon after my copy arrived at Winning Post it was knocked back," Banks said.

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Banks said he questioned the freedom of speech and that corporate bookmakers had as many as 20 ads of their own throughout the racing newspaper.

"I've been overwhelmed by very concerned trainers who are disgusted that my attempt to put my side of the story was thwarted. In fact once word got out that the page was rejected I received 10 calls in no time," he said.

Apart from preparing a small team at Bendigo, Banks oversees a hugely successful advertising company.

It is also believed that there have been complaints from within the industry that a staff member has been writing positive stories about the Melbourne Racing Club and its chairman Mike Symons without placing a disclaimer that Symons is on the board of Winning Post.

Fairfax Media attempted to contact Winning Post and TVN general manager, Stephen Dole, but he did not return our calls.

*Veteran jockey Neil Paine will be flown to Sydney in a body brace after suffering multiple injuries in a race fall in New Caledonia.

Paine, 51, broke his hands and a vertebra in his back as a result of the fall.

‘‘He is being fitted with a body brace today to enable him to fly home on a commercial flight tomorrow,’’ Racing NSW’s jockey safety and welfare officer Maurice Logue said.

Paine, who rides trackwork at Randwick for Gai Waterhouse, has been a journeyman jockey with riding stints in Macau, Malaysia, Mauritius, Bahrain and Dubai.

Since starting out as an apprentice in 1980, Paine has ridden almost 50 stakes winners although he is rarely seen in the saddle on city racetracks these days.